Sports news from Los Angeles and beyond

Swimming: 2012 Olympic coaches named

December 8, 2010 | 1:08
pm

A bit of history was carved out when USA Swimming on Wednesday announced its coaching selections for the 2012 Olympic Games.

Longtime Cal Coach Teri McKeever will be the first female Olympic swimming head coach for the United States. This will be the third Olympics for McKeever, who was on the staff as an assistant at the last two Summer Games and will lead the women's team.

Gregg Troy, who will be the men's head coach, has been at the University of Florida for 11 seasons but is more widely known on an international level as the coach/mentor of flamboyant Olympic star Ryan Lochte.

McKeever came to prominence, in part, on the basis of her longtime association with multiple Olympic gold medalist Natalie Coughlin. On a conference call for the announcements, she said she was "confident" that being a female was not the only reason she was selected for the Olympic position.

Troy acknowledged the great pressure that USA Swimming faces at the Olympics, saying: "The U.S. always has a target on their back."